5 brands that are fancy in China but c-list in the U.S.

In America, it’s the choice of blue-collar workers and hipsters — an unpretentious lager known primarily for its cheap price tag. But in China, some versions of Pabst Blue Ribbon are something else entirely: high-end alcoholic beverages that would be right at home in a socialite’s manicured hands. Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 was introduced a few years ago in China with a price tag of $44 a bottle. The ad copy that went along with it read: “It’s not just Scotch that’s put into wooden casks. There’s also Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer 1844. Many world-famous spirits are matured in precious wooden casks — Scotch whisky, French brandy, Bordeaux wine…” and goes on to call the beer “truly a treasure among beers.”

— By Catey Hill

Howard JohnsonNanshan Plaza Bengbu

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Howard Johnson

You’d be forgiven if you walked into some of the Howard Johnson hotels (they’re part of the Wyndham Hotel Group) in China and thought you were in a Westin instead. The hotel chain, which most Americans consider a basic budget accommodation, operates roughly 50 hotels in China, many of which are four- and- five-star properties. “Some of them have resorts and spas — they’re very nice,” says Steve Papermaster, the CEO of venture development firm Powershift Group. Take Howard Johnson’s resort property in Shanghai: You walk into a marble lobby with high ceilings and a chandelier and are treated to perks like a high-end spa, rooftop tennis courts and a wine lounge. There are more than 200 Howard Johnson hotels in the U.S.

Buick

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Buick

Buick: It’s not your grandpa’s car in China. The Buick, long seen by American consumers as an old man’s car (the average buyer in the U.S. is around 60 years old, according to some estimates), is seen by the Chinese as a stylish luxury car, says says Deb Weidenhamer, founder and CEO of iPai, an auction house in China. The luxury play is working well in China: 810,000 Buicks were sold in China last year; in the U.S. only about 200,000 were sold. And J.D. Power & Associates predicts that by 2016 Buick sales could hit one million in China. While Buick recently launched a new ad campaign in the U.S. to combat it’s fuddy-duddy image, it’s still got a long way to go before it’s seen by Americans the way the Chinese see it.

Bernardo De Niz/Bloomberg News

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Pizza Hut

While there are some relatively fancy Pizza Hut locations in the U.S., most of us associate this brand with getting cheap pizza quickly. But Chinese consumers view Pizza Hut — which has more than 1,000 locations in China — as a nicer sit-down restaurant, says Weidenhamer. “You don’t think fast food when you walk in, you think restaurant,” says Papermaster. “They’re more like a Chili’s or an Applebee’s.” Indeed, its more upscale interiors look like sushi restaurants would in the U.S. and its menu includes items like chestnut chicken rice, scallop paella and gold caviar prawns.

Doug Kanter/Bloomberg News

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Budweiser

Local beer in China tends to be downright cheap — some sell for less than the equivalent of 50 cents a bottle in stores — but foreign brews tend to be an exception. Indeed, bottles of Budweiser sometimes sells for almost triple the cost of some local beer. And even as Bud sales have been faltering a bit in the U.S., the company is gunning to become the king of beers in China (though they market themselves as “Style of the King” since China has restrictions on using word’s like “best” in their marketing materials), according to The Wall Street Journal.

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